Hannah Duston is captured by marauding Indians in Massachusetts along with several children and nanny. She ultimately escapes and kills her captors, scalping them as proof of her story. She finds her way back home and receives 50 pounds from the government as reward for killing the Indians. Early Massachusetts was settled by Puritans. They forbade any "modern romance pulp fiction" stories, but stories concerning Indian capture was allowed and widely read. This narrative was particularly famous and commanded separate writings by 4 famous writers including Cotton Mather and HD Thoreau. The Narrative is most enjoyable as each writer has a different set of facts and writing style. My favorite is by Thoreau, but then I am a big fan of Walden and Civil Disobedience.